Rescued count rises to 529 in Nizamabad bonded labour raids; nine infants among survivors

Key points

• At least 226 minors, including nine infants, were among the 529 labourers rescued from bonded labour conditions during large-scale raids conducted at brick kilns in Telangana’s Nizamabad district, official records viewed by The Hindu showed on Wednesday.
• The raids, which began on Tuesday afternoon and continued late into the night, led to the rescue of 529 labourers belonging to 135 families from four brick kilns in Degaon village of Armoor mandal.
• The youngest infant listed in the records was aged 1.1 months, while the oldest was eight months old.
• Females accounted for a slight majority among the rescued minors, with 118 girls and 108 boys identified.
• More than 400 rescued labourers were transported overnight to Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh in buses arranged by the Telangana government while others remain in Nizamabad awaiting release certificates and rehabilitation-related formalities.